It’s not about the money, BUT…

I’ve been very public about my distaste for all the talk in the success training and Internet marketing world about how much money everyone is making. All the promises have been about making 6 figures or 7 figures, as if someone decided those were the only two financial goals worth shooting for.

My biggest problem with this is…

It makes you feel that if you’re not making 6 or 7 figures, then you’re not successful. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.

By the way, according to my research, only about 6% of Americans make 6 figures per year, and only .3% make 1 million. Not to burst your bubble if your goal is 6 or 7 figures, but just realize that the majority of Americans never get there. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s not as easy as many would like you to believe. If it was, we’d all be there.

That’s not to say that most people can’t do significantly better than they’re currently doing.

And make plenty of money to finance the lifestyle THEY want – a lifestyle that would be very comfortable, enjoyable, and fulfilling. As Tim Ferriss points out in his book, “The 4-Hour Work-Week” most people have never actually taken the time to figure out how much money they would need to do or have what they want. In most cases it’s less than you think. Great book by the way if you haven’t read it.

In my humble opinion, it’s not up to me, or any other person, to tell you what you should be making to be considered successful.

It’s not even fair for me to hold myself up as an example and expect you to do what I’ve done. Because you are NOT me. You should decide what you want to make. As a mentor or coach, my job is to help you get there. If you want to make 6 or 7 figures, great. If you’d be happy with a small part-time business making a few thousand a month, great. All that matters is what YOU want.

So if it shouldn’t be about the money, what should it be about?

To me, success is defined by so many things other than just money. Are you happy? Do you enjoy your business? Are you making a difference? Do you have time for all the things in life that are important to you? Bottom-line, are you financing the life and lifestyle YOU want? If you are, then you’re successful.

Show me the Money

In the movie “Jerry Maguire” we all remember the scene where Jerry (Tom Cruise) is on the phone with his client, Arizona Cardinals Wide Receiver Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and they’re both yelling “Show me the money!” Hard to forget, huh?!

Well in business, like it or not, money is part of the equation. After all, the purpose of a business is to make money. And not only that, but be profitable. If a business isn’t making money, then what you really have is a hobby. Nothing wrong with hobbies, we all need them. But we don’t want to confuse a hobby with a business.

Secondly, in our society, we use money as a measuring stick.

The more you make, the more successful you are perceived. I’m hoping to change that – or to at least get people to really start looking at all the measuring sticks for success and make sure they’re balancing their success among them. Because as someone who had a successful career and burned out, I know that it’s NOT all about the money. You couldn’t pay me enough to step back into that world!

BUT, money makes things possible, and yes, it makes life easier.

It doesn’t have to be millions, or even 6 figures, but let’s face it, we all have our “monthly nut,” that amount we need to bring in to cover our expenses and live our life. That amount that needs to come in to keep us in business, and keep us from feeling like we have to go back out and get a job.

And, we all have our dream goal. That amount we’d love to be making because we think it will change our life. Enable us to do the things we want, buy the things we want, send our kids to college, finance our retirement…all those things that take money to make happen.

So we can’t ignore the money side of the equation.

We do have to look at it honestly. We do need to acknowledge where we are, and where we’d really like to be, and if we’re serious about being in business and really serving people through our business, we need to take steps on the money side if the business just isn’t cutting it. We can’t keep doing what we’re doing, and hoping the clients and money will start rolling in. We have to start doing something different.

Here’s a quick exercise to help you determine if you might need to start doing something different.

Take out a piece of paper and a calculator (unless you’re good at doing math in your head).

STEP 1: Write down exactly how much money you’ve made in your business per month, for the past 6-12 months. Be honest. No one is going to see this but you.

STEP 2: Write down what your financial goal was when you started the business, or what your financial goal is for the business right now. Again, be honest. Admit to your dream. What do you REALLY want to be making? It’s not for me or anyone else to judge or influence, it’s just what YOU want. Now break it into a monthly number.

STEP 3: What’s the gap between the monthly revenue you wrote down in Step 1 and the monthly revenue goal you wrote down in Step 2? How far away from consistently making the money you want to be making each month, are you? And, for how long have you NOT been reaching this goal?

STEP 4: Multiply the “gap” dollar amount from Step 3 x 12. So if you’re consistently making $1000 a month, and you want to be making $5000 a month, you would take the difference, $4000, and multiply it by 12, to get $48,000. Now look at YOUR number. THAT is what it will cost you over the next year to stay where you are. Every dollar you DON’T make is a cost, especially if it is entirely possible for you TO be making it.

I’ll bet you’ve never looked at it that way before. Most people haven’t.

Step 5: Okay, last step. Ask yourself, “What am I going to do differently over the next year, to start reaching my financial goals, so I don’t stay where I am?” Do you know? If not, when will you? Because if you can’t answer this question, chances are you will stay exactly where you are. And it will cost you money every day, and in a year, it will have cost you that number you wrote down in Step 4.

Can you afford to lose that much money over the next year? What would you be able to do with that money if it were coming in? How would you use it to enjoy your life?

I was in this spot last December.

I did this exercise. I made some decisions about what I needed to do to change things. I took action. And 9-1/2 months later I am in a business that I love and that consistently reaches my financial goals.

And while the money is a part of it, it’s not the biggest part for me.

The biggest part is I now have a business I enjoy. The stress and money worries are gone. I can easily afford to do the things I want to do…like take my husband away for a long anniversary weekend and splurge while we were there; buy a new MacBook Pro to replace my 9-year-old PC; invest in my business and my own personal growth; buy new clothes and shoes and bags – and if you know me, you know I LOVE this; pay my kids’ college tuition without going into debt; the list goes on, but you get the idea.

THAT is what the money part of it is about. And that’s why, it’s not about the money, but it is.

If you aren’t reaching your goals in your business and you’re not sure what to do differently…

My S.T.Y.L.E. Business System™ can help. The first step we take is to assess your current situation; everything from how much money you’re making to how much you love your business. Then we re-design your business to guarantee it can meet your financial and lifestyle goals, whatever YOUR goals are. And we help you build and market the business and know EXACTLY what action you need to take to reach your goals month in and month out.

No mystery. No wondering “will I reach my goals this month?” Nope, you can actually do the math, map it out, know that it’s possible AND know exactly what you need to do, so you can guarantee your income every month. All it requires is taking action.

I’d love to help you get out of the financial rut and on track to earning what you’re worth and what you want. So you can enjoy your business and your life. My S.T.Y.L.E. Business System™ is only available until tomorrow, October 18th, so time is running out. You can get all the details, get enrolled, and get started turning your business around today, at www.TheStyleSystem.com

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5 comments on “It’s not about the money, BUT…”

Debbie, I love your fearlessness, sharing that you actually earned less than you wanted a year ago. The ‘gurus’ (who don’t impress me) would have you believe they’ve lived in self-made luxury since their teens.

Money is a by-product, not a reason to get up in the morning. I like the stuff, but I’ve met far too many entrepreneurs who put it ahead of people, and it’s not just bad ethics, it’s bad business.

We’re not making what we want (er, need) right now. We know the gap (my wife and I both have a strong background in accounting so we can buzz through our own financials pretty quickly each month.)

A primary reason we’ve decided to travel extensively is that face-to-face meetings with our prospects (the people who are considering working with us) and suspects (people who ought to be working with us and just don’t know it yet) are the shortest road to trust. Once we have their trust, we can continue to build a relationship online and on the phone while we continue traveling, planting seeds as we go.

We’ve also put plans for our Customer Care Clinics on the back burner, realising that until we have a fan base built on trust, we shouldn’t be investing effort in events like that.

Some day we’re also going to quit stalling and connect for one of your free coaching sessions; maybe even before we’re in San Diego this winter.

I have a similar process that I get my clients to do but realized when I read your post that it’s been a heck of a long time since “I” took my own advice. Thanks for the reminder of how important it is to be honest and purposeful about the money-side of doing what we love to do :)

P.S. Congrats on the release of your STYLE Business System… I can’t wait to hear all the success stories sure to come!

Thanks for sharing. Joel – one more thing to add on the topic of it not being about the money, but more about what you do with it…Just striving for money will rarely attract it to you. Knowing what you want that money for, and being in a strong vibration about that (how much you’re going to enjoy or be fulfilled by what you’re going to DO with the money) is actually what attracts it to you. All the more reason to focus on doing what you do for the reason you do it.

Gina – Isn’t it funny how we often need reminding to do ourselves what we tell others to do everyday!

Velina – you are right on! Money is a part of it, and as business people we do have to pay attention to it (many folks are in denial here – that’s a whole other post!), but if that’s all you’re focusing on, you’re probably not going to be very happy, and, there will never be enough money.